Editing Alabama (section)

=== State government ===
{{Main|Government of Alabama}}
[[File:Alabama Capitol Building.jpg|thumb|The [[Alabama State Capitol|State Capitol Building]] in Montgomery, completed in 1851]]

The foundational document for Alabama's government is the [[Constitution of Alabama|Alabama Constitution]], the current one having been adopted in 2022. The former Alabama [[Alabama Constitution of 1901|constitution adopted in 1901]] was, with over 850 amendments and almost 87,000 words, by some accounts the world's longest constitution and roughly forty times the length of the [[United States Constitution]].<ref>Tim Lockette, [http://www.annistonstar.com/article_c928bd51-fbf1-5056-a30c-1bf4b19eb012.html?mode=jqm Is the Alabama Constitution the longest constitution in the world?Truth Rating: 4 out of 5] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307224910/http://www.annistonstar.com/article_c928bd51-fbf1-5056-a30c-1bf4b19eb012.html?mode=jqm |date=March 7, 2016}}, ''Anniston Star''.</ref><ref>Campbell Robertson, [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/us/alabama-simmers-before-vote-on-its-constitutions-racist-language.html Alabama Simmers Before Vote on Its Constitution's Racist Language] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170723071330/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/us/alabama-simmers-before-vote-on-its-constitutions-racist-language.html |date=July 23, 2017}}, ''New York Times'', October 10, 2012.</ref><ref name="Washington Post">{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/11/28/alabama-vote-opens-old-racial-wounds/c801ee54-a22b-424c-9122-729aabaf2007/ |last=Roig-Franzia |first=Manuel |title=Alabama Vote Opens Old Racial Wounds |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=November 28, 2004 |access-date=November 4, 2021 |archive-date=March 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322031912/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/11/28/alabama-vote-opens-old-racial-wounds/c801ee54-a22b-424c-9122-729aabaf2007/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Constitution">{{cite web |url=http://www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeOfAlabama/Constitution/1901/Constitution1901_toc.htm |title=Constitution of Alabama—1901 |website=The Alabama Legislative Information System |access-date=September 22, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923081542/http://www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeOfAlabama/Constitution/1901/Constitution1901_toc.htm |archive-date=September 23, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

There has been a significant movement to rewrite and modernize Alabama's constitution.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.constitutionalreform.org/ |title=Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform |publisher=Constitutionalreform.org |access-date=October 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100915165938/http://www.constitutionalreform.org/ |archive-date=September 15, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Critics have argued that Alabama's constitution maintains highly centralized power with the state legislature, leaving practically no power in local hands. Most counties do not have home rule. Any policy changes proposed in different areas of the state must be approved by the entire Alabama legislature and, frequently, by state referendum. The former constitution was particularly criticized for its complexity and length intentionally codifying segregation and racism.

[[File:Ala Supreme Court Building Feb 2012 01.jpg|thumb|The [[Alabama Judicial Building|Heflin-Torbert Judicial Building]] in Montgomery. It houses the [[Supreme Court of Alabama]], [[Alabama Court of Civil Appeals]], and [[Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals]].]]
Alabama's government is divided into three coequal branches. The [[Legislature|legislative branch]] is the [[Alabama Legislature]], a [[Bicameralism|bicameral]] assembly composed of the [[Alabama House of Representatives]], with 105 members, and the [[Alabama Senate]], with 35 members. The Legislature is responsible for writing, debating, passing, or defeating state legislation. The [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] currently holds a majority in both houses of the Legislature. The Legislature has the power to override a gubernatorial veto by a simple majority (most state Legislatures require a two-thirds majority to override a veto).

Until 1964, the state elected state senators on a geographic basis by county, with one per county. It had not redistricted congressional districts since passage of its constitution in 1901; as a result, urbanized areas were grossly underrepresented. It had not changed legislative districts to reflect the decennial censuses, either. In ''Reynolds v. Sims'' (1964), the U.S. Supreme Court implemented the principle of "one man, one vote", ruling that congressional districts had to be reapportioned based on censuses (as the state already included in its constitution but had not implemented.) Further, the court ruled that both houses of bicameral state legislatures had to be apportioned by population, as there was no constitutional basis for states to have geographically based systems.

At that time, Alabama and many other states had to change their legislative districting, as many across the country had systems that underrepresented urban areas and districts. This had caused decades of underinvestment in such areas. For instance, Birmingham and Jefferson County taxes had supplied one-third of the state budget, but Jefferson County received only 1/67th of state services in funding. Through the legislative delegations, the Alabama legislature kept control of county governments.

[[File:Governor Kay Ivey 2017 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[Kay Ivey]] is the [[governor of Alabama]] as of 2025.]]
The [[Executive (government)|executive branch]] is responsible for the execution and oversight of laws. It is headed by the [[List of governors of Alabama|governor of Alabama]]. Other members of the executive branch include the cabinet, the [[List of lieutenant governors of Alabama|lieutenant governor of Alabama]], the [[Attorney General of Alabama]], the [[Secretary of State of Alabama|Alabama Secretary of State]], the [[Alabama State Treasurer]], and the [[State Auditor of Alabama]]. The current governor is Republican [[Kay Ivey]].

The members of the Legislature take office immediately after the November elections. Statewide officials, such as the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and other constitutional officers, take office the following January.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legislature.state.al.us/misc/legislativeprocess/legislativeprocess_ml.html |title=Alabama's Legislative Process |first=McDowell |last=Lee |year=2009 |publisher=State of Alabama |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102162559/http://www.legislature.state.al.us/misc/legislativeprocess/legislativeprocess_ml.html |archive-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>

The [[judiciary]] is responsible for interpreting the [[Constitution of Alabama]] and applying the law in state criminal and civil cases. The [[State supreme court|state's highest court]] is the [[Supreme Court of Alabama]]. Alabama uses partisan elections to select judges. Since the 1980s judicial campaigns have become increasingly politicized.<ref name="AJS">[http://www.judicialselection.us/judicial_selection/index.cfm?state=AL Judicial Selection in the States: Alabama] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006162358/http://www.judicialselection.us/judicial_selection/index.cfm?state=AL |date=October 6, 2014}}, American Judicature Society.</ref> The current [[chief justice]] of the Alabama Supreme Court is Republican [[Tom Parker (judge)|Tom Parker]]. All sitting justices on the Alabama Supreme Court are members of the Republican Party. There are two intermediate [[appellate court]]s, the Court of Civil Appeals and the Court of Criminal Appeals, and four [[trial court]]s: the circuit court (trial court of general jurisdiction), and the district, probate, and municipal courts.<ref name="AJS"/>

Alabama has the death penalty with authorized methods of execution that include the [[electric chair]] and the [[gas chamber]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/methods-of-execution |title=Methods of Execution |access-date=March 20, 2023 |archive-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701043600/https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/methods-execution |url-status=live}}</ref> Some critics believe the election of judges has contributed to an exceedingly high rate of executions.<ref>[{{cite web |title=Questions of Death Row Justice For Poor People in Alabama |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/01/us/questions-of-death-row-justice-for-poor-people-in-alabama.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 1, 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326035332/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/01/us/questions-of-death-row-justice-for-poor-people-in-alabama.html |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |url-status=live |last1=Rimer |first1=Sara}}</ref> Alabama has the highest per capita [[Capital punishment in Alabama|death penalty rate]] in the country. In some years, it imposes more death sentences than does Texas, a state which has a population five times larger.<ref name="npr.org"/> However, executions per capita are significantly higher in Texas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/stories/state-execution-rates|title=State Execution Rates (through 2020)|website=Death Penalty Information Center|access-date=December 14, 2019|archive-date=February 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207020714/https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/stories/state-execution-rates|url-status=live}}</ref> Some of its cases have been highly controversial; the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.eji.org/us-supreme-court-reverses-alabama-death-penalty-case-christopher-floyd-racially-biased-jury-selection |title=Supreme Court Reverses Another Alabama Death Penalty Case |date=June 21, 2016 |website=EJI |access-date=August 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820093442/http://www.eji.org/us-supreme-court-reverses-alabama-death-penalty-case-christopher-floyd-racially-biased-jury-selection |archive-date=August 20, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 24 convictions in death penalty cases.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}} It was the only state to allow judges to override jury decisions in whether or not to use a death sentence; in 10 cases judges overturned sentences of [[Life imprisonment|life imprisonment without parole]] that were voted unanimously by juries.<ref name="npr.org">{{cite news |author=Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza |url=https://www.npr.org/2014/07/25/335418230/with-judges-overriding-death-penalty-cases-alabama-is-an-outlier |title=With Judges Overriding Death Penalty Cases, Alabama Is An Outlier |newspaper=NPR |date=July 27, 2014 |access-date=July 21, 2016 |archive-date=July 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703220906/https://www.npr.org/2014/07/25/335418230/with-judges-overriding-death-penalty-cases-alabama-is-an-outlier |url-status=live}}</ref> This judicial authority was removed in April 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2017/04/post_317.html |title=Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs bill: Judges can no longer override juries in death penalty cases |website=Al.com |date=April 12, 2017 |access-date=December 13, 2017 |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035444/http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2017/04/post_317.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

On May 14, 2019, Alabama passed the [[Human Life Protection Act]], banning abortion at any stage of pregnancy unless there is a "serious health risk", with no exceptions for rape and [[incest]]. The law subjects doctors who perform abortions with 10 to 99 years imprisonment.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/14/abortion-bill-alabama-passes-ban-six-weeks-us-no-exemptions-vote-latest |title=Alabama abortion ban: Republican senate passes most restrictive law in US |last=York |first=Erin Durkin Jessica Glenza in New |date=May 15, 2019 |work=The Guardian |access-date=May 15, 2019 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=May 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515023534/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/14/abortion-bill-alabama-passes-ban-six-weeks-us-no-exemptions-vote-latest |url-status=live}}</ref> The law was originally supposed to take effect the following November, but on October 29, 2019, U.S. District Judge [[Myron H. Thompson|Myron Thompson]] blocked the law from taking effect due to it being in conflict with the 1973 [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] case ''[[Roe v. Wade]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chandler |first1=Kim |title=Federal judge blocks Alabama's strict abortion ban |url=https://apnews.com/dae2aa0b0796432daa146bbc6128643b |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=November 9, 2019 |location=Montgomery |date=October 29, 2019 |archive-date=November 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108185459/https://apnews.com/dae2aa0b0796432daa146bbc6128643b |url-status=live}}</ref> On June 24, 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned ''Roe v. Wade'' in ''[[Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization]]'', Judge Thompson lifted the injunction, allowing the law to go into effect.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/waaytv.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/ad/dad08b38-f403-11ec-b63f-6308c50f258e/62b62b6dda8ef.pdf.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/waaytv.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/ad/dad08b38-f403-11ec-b63f-6308c50f258e/62b62b6dda8ef.pdf.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |title=YASHICA ROBINSON vs STEVEN MARSHALL Court Docket |website=bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com}}</ref>

Alabama is one of the few states that does not allow the creation of state lotteries.<ref>Alabama Law, Article IV, §65</ref>